Changes
by Ominae
Summary: Sumeragi returns back to her comrades with some interesting and conflicting news regarding her 4-year absence from Celestial Being after their pyrrhic victory against the UN Army.


Mobile Suit Gundam 00/Kidou Senshi Gundam 00 - Changes

By: Ominae

Rating: K+

NOTE:

All characters of Gundam 00 are under the copyright of Seiji Mizushima, Sunrise and the Manichi Broadcasting System.

To all readers:

Just to let you know, this'll have some hints of Setsuna/Marina and Setsuna/Sumeragi or a mix of Setsuna/Marina/Sumeragi, depending on how you look at it. In short, if you don't think there are hints of the pairings I mentioned, it's fine. Whatever rocks your boat.

Summary:

Sumeragi returns back to her comrades with some interesting and conflicting news regarding her 4-year absence from Celestial Being after their pyrrhic victory against the UN Army.

* * *

Briefing Room, CBS-74 Ptolemaios 2, somewhere in Lagrange 3, Space

* * *

"Hey."

Sumeragi greeted Feldt Grace and Lasse Aeon inside the Ptolemaios 2's briefing room. The two ex-Ptolemaios crewmembers wore the new Celestial Being uniforms, consisting of a jacket, shirt and pants with boots and gloves except for the females with the option of having skirts in place of the pants. It had been a standing requirement as part of reforming the organization.

_So all Meisters and non-combat personnel are required to wear that uniform? Seriously, who did Celestial Being hire for a fashion counselor?_

"Hi Ms. Sumeragi." Feldt greeted her, noticing that her captain had worn the new uniform with her pink jacket and white pants.

"Yo." Lasse greeted Sumeragi as well.

"Where are Ian and the others?" Sumeragi asked Lasse.

Lasse shrugged his shoulders. "Probably helping the Meisters check on their Gundam units."

"Hmmm..." Feldt snapped her fingers, turning the widescreen on behind her. "Something just came up."

"What is it?" Lasse asked the pink-haired girl.

"I heard from the news a few minutes ago that the A-LAWs were able to arrest someone."

"Really?" Sumeragi raised her left eyebrow.

The widescreen was tuned into CNN, showing the video of a black-haired woman in a sky blue business suit.

**"In today's international headlines," **Sumeragi, Feldt and Lasse went on to see the woman being escorted by A-LAWs soldiers, distinguished by their gray and black suits with gray helmet, facemask, metal leggings, shoulder pads and arm guards with blue visors that covers their eyes. **"Her Royal Highness Princess Marina Ismail of Azadistan was arrested by A-LAWs soldiers at her hotel suite in Dublin, Ireland." **

The three Celestial Being personnel didn't notice Setsuna enter the briefing room. He wore his jacket and pants on like the others, having the blue color similar to his pilot suit.

_What the? _Setsuna was shocked to see A-LAWs soldiers had placed a cordon around the entrance, pushing off reporters and pro-Marina supporters back as she was being assisted to enter inside the rear passenger seat of a Mercedes Benz sedan.

**"It's unknown what the charges are being pressed against her. But it has been known for the past 2 to 3 years that various factions of the Azadistani government had opposed joining the Earth Federation due to the A-LAWs' use as the EF government's personal secret police in eliminating all visible means of opposition in joining the federation. The country has withdrawn from the United Nations after it had been disbanded in favor of the EF and has not joined since due to suggestions that the A-LAWs had conducted mass killings in the name of _peace_, according to documents provided by various human rights groups."  
**

"Marina...Ismail." Setsuna whispered, seeing someone he had known to be an A-LAWs prisoner. _Dammit! Why of all the people the A-LAWs have to arrest, why get her involved? _He clenched his fists in anger.

**"Her attorneys and supporters have challenged this arrest, the latter calling the EF government _horrible pigs_ in arresting a sovereign who had been fighting to help her impoverished people. On the other hand, Ismail's attorneys have prepared to initiate lawsuits against the A-LAWs and its commander Homer Katagiri, calling the arrest unlawful."  
**

"Setsuna?" Sumeragi noticed the Kurdish boy standing behind her, staring angrily at the screen.

"Ah." Lasse began to leave the room with Feldt. "I just remember; we're needed back in the bridge to take care of something for a few minutes."

Sumeragi nodded. "Ah. Okay, guys."

_Setsuna. _Feldt noticed Setsuna's eyes were angry, as if he had been upset with the world as she was the last to leave the briefing room.

"Setsuna." Sumeragi placed a hand on his right shoulder. "Is something wrong? You seem agitated when they mentioned her highness."

"I'm fine." Setsuna shrugged off Sumeragi's hand. "Don't worry about me..."

Sumeragi bit her lip, seeing Setsuna leave the briefing room. _He seems to be hiding something._

The auburn-haired woman clutched her chest, feeling her heart somehow beat rapidly.

_Am I jealous that Setsuna may know Marina Ismail even if I never met her?_

* * *

Outside Briefing Room, CBS-74 Ptolemaios 2, somewhere in Lagrange 3, Space

* * *

Sumeragi left the briefing room after turning off the widescreen. She ran into Tieria Erde, one of Celestial Being's Gundam Meisters. He holds no clues for people who had tried to investigate his name or his past.

"Tieria." Sumeragi greeted the purple-haired Meister, who had recently sortied in Gundam Seravee against A-LAWs mobile suits yesterday. She noted his purple jacket, shirt and boots as he had been the first Meister to wear the new uniform.

"Hello." Tieria greeted, being his cold usual and egotistical self though he warmed up a bit to the others ever since the UN forces had assaulted their old ship, the Ptolemaios.

"I checked in with VEDA after I got onboard the ship." Sumeragi spoke to Tieria after ensuring that the sliding door of the briefing room was closed. "It told me that we had security problems."

Tieria held out his left index and middle fingers. "Two. Two security problems to be precise, Ms. Sumeragi."

Sumeragi was a bit confused. "Strange. VEDA didn't mention two, although it did mention some breaches in the past."

"Precisely." Tieria used his right index finger to push the bridge of his glasses. "And both of them are from within our organization."

The revelation had shocked Celestial Being's tactical commander. "W-what?"

The Gundam Seravee pilot sighed. "I knew that you wouldn't believe me like the others when I checked in with VEDA myself during the four years that had passed."

Sumeragi was curious to hear what Tieria had to say. "I'm listening."

Tieria raised his left index finger. "The first breach of security came from Alejandro Corner, the UN ambassador to Colombia."

_Alejandro Corner? _Sumeragi was surprised to hear the name. _I remember seeing him in the news with some green-haired guy on his side. I wonder who he is?_

The purple-haired Meister continued to tell his superior. "Secretly, he's with Celestial Being as a low-level agent. He had been conspiring with some people to seize control of VEDA. He's also the one who led the forces towards us in his own mobile armor called the GNMA-XCVII Alvatore and a backup mobile suit in the MA called the Alvaaron."

"So that's how he was able to disable our Gundams four years ago." Sumeragi surmised her thoughts based on what Tieria had told her.

"The second breach of security..." Tieria raised his left middle finger with his index. "came from one of our agents named Laguna Harvey."

"The Laguna Harvey of the Linear Train Industries?"

Tieria nodded. "That's right. Somehow he was able to hack into VEDA and used it to give intelligence to the Trinity siblings when they intervened in the Taklamakan desert in Central Asia."

"That's how those guys knew our location." Sumeragi replied, feeling a bit upset over the news. "It somehow sickens me that one of our own had to do this."

"That's not all." Tieria didn't stop with his revelations to Sumeragi, opting to go on and tell her what news he has to the woman. "He's also the one who had provided the UN Army with the 30 GNX-603T GN-X mobile suits stored in our Antarctica base prior to the confrontation."

Sumeragi felt disgusted when she heard of it. "I suddenly feel sick because of what that bastard has done..." She gritted her teeth and clenched her left fist while staring at the nearby window pane to see the darkness that is outer space. "He ought to pay for our losses 4 years ago."

"If it is for any consolation for you," Tieria showed a photo of a man slumped on his desk. Nearby were several Japanese forensic officers canvassing the office for clues in their dark blue caps, jackets and pants. "then he's already dead. No need for you or for anyone else to exact vengeance on behalf of Celestial Being."

Taking the photo from Tieria, Sumeragi examined it to see that Laguna was seemingly shot, right on the head. "He's dead? Then who killed him?"

"I don't know." Tieria shook his head. "Our agents in the National Police Agency and the Public Security Intelligence Agency were not able to find out who, though witnesses have said that a man with red hair in a sort of ponytail was the last person who spoke to him."

"Photo?"

Tieria shook his head again.

"Then we're at a dead end."

"No need to worry. VEDA has already given instruction for a group of Celestial Being agents trained to conduct wetworks on Laguna's associates in the organization to close the breach."

"I see." Sumeragi nodded. "But how..."

"VEDA suggested these names after its data was restored. It thinks that they were the culprits as they acted suspiciously outside of their duties."

"Well, thank you for updating me."

"A pleasure." Tieria went off towards the direction of the mobile suit hangar. He turned his head around. "Sooner or later, we'll find out who is responsible for Laguna's death and his links to him."

Sumeragi took Tieria's words to heart, staring at outer space once again.

"Ms. Sumeragi." She was a bit startled to see Setsuna, who was again near her.

"Don't startle me!" Sumeragi placed a hand on her chest to emphasize her point.

Setsuna apologized to her, "Sorry."

_Wow. Setsuna actually apologizing? Now that's a start..._

"Look Setsuna." Sumeragi placed a hand on his right shoulder again. "Just because I'm your captain doesn't mind that I can be your friend."

The Kurdish man stared at Sumeragi only; his facial expression changed from being neutral or a bit of a smirk though Setsuna tried not to show it to her.

"We're comrades, aren't we?"

The black-haired man saw Sumeragi show her sincere smile to him.

"Ah." Setsuna nodded. "We are."

"Don't worry, Setsuna." Sumeragi assured the Kurdish Meister. "I'll be here for you."

"I know you will."

Setsuna reached his left arm and grasped his right shoulder, which surprised Sumeragi a bit. Setsuna then smiled at her.

"I believe in you."

THE END

PS - Just my take on the arrest of Marina Ismail after episode 2 of season 2 with some events based on my previous Gundam 00 fic, _Stronger_ and some scenes prior to episode 3 of my own. So don't be surprised if your suspicions are on the Setsuna/Sumeragi part here as it was a bit highlighted in _Stronger_.

Let me know if I did okay with the story or not since I'd like to try and portray a sort of triangle (Is there such thing as a love square? XP). If I get a bit OOC, I apologize but I tried to do so based on how Setsuna is by the end of S1 with some changes to his emotions. I'm pretty sure that I portrayed his usual semi-cold (If that's how to describe Setsuna best) emotion at the start. Yeah, the OOC thing may be a bit of a problem in trying to portray them so far. Hopefully I can fix that in the near future. So critics who can help me here, fire away if you have suggestions that I can use.

And yeah, I improvised Corner's nationality since I don't know where he's from. If anyone has solid info (e.g. From the official databooks), let me know ASAP so's I can fix it. Thanks. I sincerly hope you readers enjoyed this Gundam 00 fanfic and as with my other Gundam 00 and non-Gundam 00 fics that I have published.


End file.
